Too many Sellers Got it Wrong

[michelemidnight]

Thankfully, one got it right. I am very pleased. Interesting to note, she is fairly new here and I hope she gets a ton more work. I’ll rate her high and get another package to rate her again…that is how right she got things.

Backing up…I came to find graphics for a shirt I want to market. I put out a call for artists and explained what I was seeking. I included a rough drawing. I then paid for several sellers to send me their version of my drawing. I had been specific that this would be 1 color and should translate. I asked for a drawing of a specific animal in a specific situation.

Without getting in to every detail, and using a general reference… if you ask for an Apple in a Bowl, and get an Orange in a Cup, or on a Stove top… the seller is waisting your time and money!!

That is a problem. I will stick to the seller who’s first pass was exactly what I described and had in my rough drawing.

How badly some sellers got this, surprised me. I was more than a bit befuddled to get “oranges in cups and on stove tops” while seeking that ‘apple in a bowl’.

Can you report someone for providing what are obviously ignored instructions? One seller went so far as to take the notes on my drawing…and add them as words, all over the front of the shirts design. Literally…all my notes were in graphic text, on the shirt design draft. WTF? (the notes were around the page with arrows pointing towards the drawing, in certain areas. To give notes and suggestions of things they might add to the art).

What do we do? Badly rate all the sellers who wasted our time and money? Ask for a refund? Ask Fivver to look harder at some of the ‘sellers’? You tell me. This was my first time as a buyer (after a friend raved about use of the site). I was polite to the people who got it all wrong…but now I want to know…do I down rate them?

I was hoping to have choices and instead, I got a lot of crap and only 1 solid job complete.

[ssj1236]

Hi, first I’m sorry you had such a bad experience. Second, you did find someone good in the end so that proves your friends were right. Third, this happens a lot to new buyers. You see, Fiverr is a free platform where anyone can start their online business which attracts creative people that like that freedom and equal field of opportunity. Unfortunately, this also gives access to people that outsource their work to other people or aren’t as experienced as they make you believe. The best advice I have is to always look at the reviews carefully before deciding and having a detailed conversation with the buyer to draw out how capable he or she is.
Since you’re a new buyer please keep one thing in mind, never accept an offer that sounds too good to be true or pull a Houdini.
With that, I hope you have a great experience on Fiverr from here on out 🙂

[michelemidnight]

Hi, first I’m sorry you had such a bad experience. Second, you did find someone good in the end so that proves your friends were right. Third, this happens a lot to new buyers. You see, Fiverr is a free platform where anyone can start their online business which attracts creative people that like that freedom and equal field of opportunity. Unfortunately, this also gives access to people that outsource their work to other people or aren’t as experienced as they make you believe. The best advice I have is to always look at the reviews carefully before deciding and having a detailed conversation with the buyer to draw out how capable he or she is.

Since you’re a new buyer please keep one thing in mind, never accept an offer that sounds too good to be true or pull a Houdini.

With that, I hope you have a great experience on Fiverr from here on out 🙂

ssj1236, great points.

What made it more of a surprise for me… I was careful and looked through every offer. I went to their pages, I looked through their reviews, read the good and bad ones, then I went through their packages to see samples of all the work they had done. My Mom was an artists and she always said to look for samples that fit what you are thinking. So, I did.

I was sure that by searching diligently, I would get better results. The results were about the same as picking blindly.

Is it possible for sellers to get fake reviews or be using stolen art, as their own?

[catwriter]

ssj1236, great points.

What made it more of a surprise for me… I was careful and looked through every offer. I went to their pages, I looked through their reviews, read the good and bad ones, then I went through their packages to see samples of all the work they had done. My Mom was an artists and she always said to look for samples that fit what you are thinking. So, I did.

I was sure that by searching diligently, I would get better results. The results were about the same as picking blindly.

Is it possible for sellers to get fake reviews or be using stolen art, as their own?

Is it possible for sellers to get fake reviews or be using stolen art, as their own?

Yes to both questions.

It would be difficult (and expensive) to get hundreds of fake reviews (not to mention that getting any fake reviews is a violation of the Terms of Service), but a certain amount can be gained.

As for the stolen art… Always do a thorough search for all the gig images you see.

Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of honest sellers and wonderful artists on Fiverr, but there are bad apples, too, and it takes time to learn to avoid them.

[ssj1236]

ssj1236, great points.

What made it more of a surprise for me… I was careful and looked through every offer. I went to their pages, I looked through their reviews, read the good and bad ones, then I went through their packages to see samples of all the work they had done. My Mom was an artists and she always said to look for samples that fit what you are thinking. So, I did.

I was sure that by searching diligently, I would get better results. The results were about the same as picking blindly.

Is it possible for sellers to get fake reviews or be using stolen art, as their own?

As unfortunate as it is, yes they can. And your mother honestly sounds like a great artist.

Here are some tips you can use to find the “better” sellers:

Recurring Clients

When looking at reviews try and see whether the seller had any recurring clients. Clients only come back if they receive quality content. My reviews, for example, comprise mostly of return clients.

The Prices

Always look at the prices, they tell a lot. Naturally, you’ll get the medium quality work for $5 but the medium quality some sellers provide far outdoes the higher priced packages by more “successful” sellers.

Talk To Them

Honestly, just talk to them. be straightforward, don’t try to complicate things, ask how long they’ve been doing whatever they’re selling, ask proof of the samples they show you. Basically, talk to like you’d talk to a farmer before buying his groceries.

---

if you need any other kind of help you can always make a buyers request or come to the forums. Happy Buying.

[michelemidnight]

catwriter, thank you. Good details to know. Should I be doing reverse image searches to check?

ssj1236, great point, but how do I narrow down to returning customers. For example, I went you your incredible reviews, but it only allows me 3 ways to view them…‘most recent, positive, negative’. Is there a trick to find just returning customer reviews?

[driedwriter]

I just find the idea of looking for returning buyers is a bit silly since not everyone is looking for a logo twice a month, if I need a logo for my company I ll order one logo, not 10, for some categories, checking for returning buyers is like standing in font of a car dealer waiting for someone to come back to get a new car after buying a new one.

[dasarg]

Thankfully, one got it right. I am very pleased. Interesting to note, she is fairly new here and I hope she gets a ton more work. I’ll rate her high and get another package to rate her again…that is how right she got things.

Backing up…I came to find graphics for a shirt I want to market. I put out a call for artists and explained what I was seeking. I included a rough drawing. I then paid for several sellers to send me their version of my drawing. I had been specific that this would be 1 color and should translate. I asked for a drawing of a specific animal in a specific situation.

Without getting in to every detail, and using a general reference… if you ask for an Apple in a Bowl, and get an Orange in a Cup, or on a Stove top… the seller is waisting your time and money!!

That is a problem. I will stick to the seller who’s first pass was exactly what I described and had in my rough drawing.

How badly some sellers got this, surprised me. I was more than a bit befuddled to get “oranges in cups and on stove tops” while seeking that ‘apple in a bowl’.

Can you report someone for providing what are obviously ignored instructions? One seller went so far as to take the notes on my drawing…and add them as words, all over the front of the shirts design. Literally…all my notes were in graphic text, on the shirt design draft. WTF? (the notes were around the page with arrows pointing towards the drawing, in certain areas. To give notes and suggestions of things they might add to the art).

What do we do? Badly rate all the sellers who wasted our time and money? Ask for a refund? Ask Fivver to look harder at some of the ‘sellers’? You tell me. This was my first time as a buyer (after a friend raved about use of the site). I was polite to the people who got it all wrong…but now I want to know…do I down rate them?

I was hoping to have choices and instead, I got a lot of crap and only 1 solid job complete.

It’s a bummer that that is the current state of affairs on Fiverr… but the following really made me laugh:

One seller went so far as to take the notes on my drawing…and add them as words, all over the front of the shirts design.

Can you post a picture of it? 😁

[michelemidnight]

It’s a bummer that that is the current state of affairs on Fiverr… but the following really made me laugh:

One seller went so far as to take the notes on my drawing…and add them as words, all over the front of the shirts design.

Can you post a picture of it? 😁

dasarg, Am I allowed? I have not gotten through all of the forums rules and would not want to post something that might be against the terms of service/use.

If I am…I will post. It will make you laugh…

[michelemidnight]

Seems I can post it, if I do not name the seller or say mean things. I also blacked out the back of the shirt.

There should be just an image on front…no words at all. My notes were on the bottom of the page and to the side of the sketch…not above and below the sketch.

I have NO earthly idea how they thought this was acceptable. The image does not match the notes or sketch, either!

btw…swim cup, is swim cap, on the notes. Again, no idea where that came from!

[eoinfinnegan]

Seems I can post it, if I do not name the seller or say mean things. I also blacked out the back of the shirt.

There should be just an image on front…no words at all. My notes were on the bottom of the page and to the side of the sketch…not above and below the sketch.

I have NO earthly idea how they thought this was acceptable. The image does not match the notes or sketch, either!

btw…swim cup, is swim cap, on the notes. Again, no idea where that came from!

Thanks for taking the time to check the rules before posting, it’s refreshing to see someone do that! 😃

I must say, there is definitely potential for that t-shirt design - Something like, “My friend went on Fiverr and all I got was this d*mn t-shirt!”

On a serious note, I find that the best way to use Fiverr is through some trial and error. What you did, in placing several orders, is how I approach a lot of things I need. When I find someone I like, I keep using them and that is where you start to see the cost saving benefits of Fiverr!

[michelemidnight]

Thanks for taking the time to check the rules before posting, it’s refreshing to see someone do that! 😃

I must say, there is definitely potential for that t-shirt design - Something like, “My friend went on Fiverr and all I got was this d*mn t-shirt!”

On a serious note, I find that the best way to use Fiverr is through some trial and error. What you did, in placing several orders, is how I approach a lot of things I need. When I find someone I like, I keep using them and that is where you start to see the cost saving benefits of Fiverr!

eoinfinnegan, ha ha ha what a funny idea for the design…snicker!

On rules, yes, I am one of those who reads fine print, the best I can. I think I was the first on most social media sites to say “this is NOT America, this is the world wide web and you do NOT have the same rights”. ha ha ha

😉

[avon_d]

Sorry to hear you Fiverr experience. At the beginning I had few experience quite like yours. Then I found a formula which is foolproof most of the time. I think no harm will come sharing it with you.
So let me show it to you with an example,

When I need to get a logo done,

1. Be patient and sit back
   I go to logo design sub category select suitable style then sort by Avg. customer review. So I get lots of gigs from varies designers. I usually select few gigs with less than 5-6 orders in the queue and read gig descriptions. (This is important, long queue mean I have to wait long and sometimes sellers don’t show respect to buyers since they have more customers waiting. Also usually sellers with long queue do not good with modification)

2. Not as good as it seems
   Do not fix with a gig because of it has attractive images on the portfolio, go deep and check for their works on Fiverr (that mean skip first 3 images on the portfolio. Designs show on first three images not the work you get)

3. learn more from others’ mistakes
   Gigs passed above filtering process, should be further filter by customer review. Go to gig review section. Here I don’t read positive review, Yes most of the time sellers get positive review but that don’t imply they are good to buyers may be sellers get positive review out of pity of buyers. So select the Negative review from the drop down box. These review shows true experience of the gig. I mean you don’t need to fix with these reviews and judge by them, just know how it was with the seller.

4. Let the man do the work
   When I find some gig I can be happy, first contact the seller and let him/ her know what I want and ask is it possible to do. If so place an order I’m comfortable with and clarify everything as much as I can. When the order delivered point out modifications.

This formula works for me pretty good. I don’t need to sit and wait just to get some crap. ✌️

[catwriter]

catwriter, thank you. Good details to know. Should I be doing reverse image searches to check?

ssj1236, great point, but how do I narrow down to returning customers. For example, I went you your incredible reviews, but it only allows me 3 ways to view them…‘most recent, positive, negative’. Is there a trick to find just returning customer reviews?

Should I be doing reverse image searches to check?

Yes, definitely.

After a while, you’ll start recognizing some of them even without a search. 😝

[michelemidnight]

Thank you all for the suggestions. I will add some of these new methods to my searches!

I am happy to report I finally got refund from the sellers who got thins so wrong. 1 did it right away, and the other 2 I had to push. But…as they got it so very wrong, I don’t feel bad canceling. Not to mention, those who got it wrong did not sketch or draw anything, they did copy and pastes, and very badly.

The seller who got it right, I tipped her extra…because I knew her effort was real. I’ll make that my policy here as long as I have a few extra bucks…always tip the one who gets it right!

[humanissocial]

Hi, first I’m sorry you had such a bad experience. Second, you did find someone good in the end so that proves your friends were right. Third, this happens a lot to new buyers. You see, Fiverr is a free platform where anyone can start their online business which attracts creative people that like that freedom and equal field of opportunity. Unfortunately, this also gives access to people that outsource their work to other people or aren’t as experienced as they make you believe. The best advice I have is to always look at the reviews carefully before deciding and having a detailed conversation with the buyer to draw out how capable he or she is.

Since you’re a new buyer please keep one thing in mind, never accept an offer that sounds too good to be true or pull a Houdini.

With that, I hope you have a great experience on Fiverr from here on out 🙂

Great advice. Sellers need to purchase with a critical eye and mind.

[melindaburt]

It’s actually very easy to get a ton of fake positive reviews on Fiverr. All the person has to do is offer an incentive for the buyer to give a positive review. This has happened to me twice. Once I bought a mailing list of Amazon sellers and was told that I could get an additional fifty e-mail addresses if I left a good review. Another time I paid someone to blast my new release book on facebook. Afterwards they offered me a free twitter blast for a good review. Both of those gigs turned out to be a waste of money, but they they had tons of great reviews, I suspect because of the freebies being offered.

[eoinfinnegan]

It’s actually very easy to get a ton of fake positive reviews on Fiverr. All the person has to do is offer an incentive for the buyer to give a positive review. This has happened to me twice. Once I bought a mailing list of Amazon sellers and was told that I could get an additional fifty e-mail addresses if I left a good review. Another time I paid someone to blast my new release book on facebook. Afterwards they offered me a free twitter blast for a good review. Both of those gigs turned out to be a waste of money, but they they had tons of great reviews, I suspect because of the freebies being offered.

There are two red flags there:

1. Review manipulation of that kind is against ToS so they should be reported.
2. If a seller is prepared to manipulate the system and disobey the ToS, what else are they willing to do? I certainly wouldn’t be giving them any personal info or access to anything important.

   PS. The word “blast” in terms of promotion means “spam-Spam-SPam-SPAm-SPAMMMM”.

   The positive reviews are probably due to the freebies as you say, if only buyers would read the ToS before purchasing and then report the sellers who break it, the site would be a lot cleaner.